Mayor names London's first Housing Zones

20 February 2015

• Fast tracking 28,000 new homes for Londoners in nine zones across the capital• Vast regeneration over thousands of hectares driven by £260m of new investment

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has today named London's first Housing Zones. In nine boroughs, spanning the length and breadth of the city, the new Zones will bring forward enormous regeneration and transform key areas of the capital, with £260m of new investment to deliver 28,000 much needed new homes across the capital.

London's first Housing Zones will unlock the redevelopment of 1897.42 hectares of brownfield land across the capital, the equivalent of 2,656 football pitches.

The special status has been awarded to areas identified by London boroughs as key opportunity sites, to maximise development, fast track homes and deliver much needed infrastructure to boost development.

The Housing Zone status will remain until 2025. Part of the Mayor's commitment to double housebuilding as London's population continues to boom, the first of the new Zones will create more than 56,000 construction jobs on 52 schemes across the capital. Creating first class new neighbourhoods, measures agreed within the Zones include: 5 station upgrades; 5 new schools; 4 new bridges, 2 new civic centres; a new park, a new '3G' football pitch, shops, restaurants, and libraries.

They will also include more than 9,000 low cost homes, for some of the capital's most essential workers.

The areas selected will also benefit from planning focus and the release of publicly owned land for development.

The Mayor's announcement comes on the day he and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, outlined a package of measures to boost the city's economy and support infrastructure including housing. London's first Housing Zones will be in the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Ealing, Royal Borough of Greenwich, Haringey, Harrow, Hounslow, Lewisham, Wandsworth. More across London are currently being considered with around 20 expected to be designated by later his year. Together they will provide over 50,000 new homes across London.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'As London's population continues to boom, already at its highest since records began and with more growth predicted, housing is a huge challenge. We need to double housebuilding and provide a million more homes by 2025. These innovative new Housing Zones, the first of their kind in the UK, will trigger regeneration and turbo boost the transformation of the capital's brownfield sites, creating tens of thousands of new homes for hard working Londoner in first class new neighbourhoods.'

London's first 9 Housing Zones:Abbey Wood and South Thamesmead: This 13.42 hectare area lies between Abbey Wood Station – the terminus of Crossrail - and Southmere Lake. It is expected that the Zone create a new urban boulevard and create an new town centre within the heart of Thamesmead. It will also offer huge opportunities to deliver over 1,300 new homes and thousands of jobs through unlocking existing cleared sites and creating new local commercial space. Councillor Teresa O'Neill, Leader, London Borough of Bexley, said: 'With housing zone status and the GLA's funding support we are looking forward to working to increase investment and unlock the delivery of new housing. We can support positive physical, social and economic change in the neighbourhood and help Thamesmead to really come of age.'

Abbey Wood, Plumstead and Thamesmead: This site has been identified by the Royal Borough of Greenwich in partnership with Peabody Trust and is expected to provide 1,512 new homes, (45% of which would affordable) and 3,024 jobs. The Housing Zone will also lead to improved public spaces, roads and footpaths in the area, delivering a high quality local environment to capitalise on the arrival of Crossrail to Abbey Wood in 2018.

Councillor Denise Hyland, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich said: 'This announcement is great news and a major boost to on-going plans to transform this part of the Royal Borough with huge levels of inward investment including major transport infrastructure, new and improved public spaces, and thousands of new homes and jobs.

'Thamesmead, Abbey Wood and Plumstead are areas which offer exciting and extensive redevelopment potential. Housing Zone designation will unlock substantial grants and investment to provide 1500 much needed new homes, 45% of which will be affordable. Longer term we could see up to 14,000 new homes being built. 'There will also be more than 3000 construction jobs, and we're committed to ensuring that local people, including young apprentices, are best placed to achieve these employment opportunities.

'We are also greatly improving the environment with attractive and high quality new public spaces, park land, footpaths and cycleways. The level and scope of these exciting developments will truly transform the area for new and existing local communities.'

Barking Town Centre: This 97 hectare Housing Zone is a central part of the ambition to realise Barking's full cultural and economic potential. It will host over 2,000 new homes and 4,000 new jobs, alongside improved local public spaces and new culture and leisure facilities.

Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, said: 'With fantastic rail links Barking is just 15 minutes from Fenchurch Street. We are also opening a new leisure centre next month and progressing a cinema development to add to the town's growing appeal. We are also developing our cultural offer at the Icehouse Quarter and with the Broadway Theatre working with the Barbican this summer Barking is being recognised as the new hub for the creative arts.

A Housing Zone for Barking would enable faster delivery of new housing to complement this whilst still continuing to deliver our award winning high quality development and public realm.'

Clapham Junction to Battersea Riverside: This prime 57 acre Housing Zone has huge development and transformational potential. With excellent transport links to the West End, City of London and Gatwick Airport, it will attract £1.4 billion of investment to deliver 5,000 new homes, new commercial space and 1,300 new jobs.

Leader of Wandsworth Council Ravi Govindia said: 'Housing zone status will provide certainty and bring all of the key players to the table with a clear focus on delivering much needed improvement and change to this area over the next ten years.

Our ambitious proposals for this part of Battersea include more than 5,000 new homes, new leisure and community facilities, an extensive upgrade to the Clapham Junction transport hub, a new pedestrian bridge across the Thames and plans to reconnect Clapham Junction town centre with the riverside.

At the core of the housing zone we will transform the Winstanley and York Road estates which are among the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Wandsworth. Every homeowner and council tenant living here will be offered a brand new home so local families can stay living in the heart of Battersea and share the benefits our regeneration work will bring.'

Heart of Harrow: Both Harrow and Wealdstone town centres sit within the Heart of Harrow Housing Zone. The new Zone will see more than 5,000 homes are built over the next ten years and accelerate delivery of the council's private rented sector programme.

Business, planning and regeneration councillor, Keith Ferry said: 'Receiving this funding is great news for the people of Harrow and this will allow us to kick start our ambitious regeneration plans. In the next decade we will be building 5,500 much needed homes, which will go some way to addressing the chronic housing shortage in our borough. This level of investment from GLA is a testament to the strength of our bid and recognition of our development plans for the borough. Over the coming months we will be speaking to residents about these plans to ensure they are given a say on the future shape of Harrow.'

Hounslow Town Centre: This 466 hectare Housing Zone is part of Hounslow's ambitious regeneration programme, designed to boost job and business growth, and to accelerate high quality house-building for residents. It is expected that the Zone will lead to the delivery of 3,478 new homes built by 2025, 1,383 of which will be affordable. The Zone is also expected to lead to the creation of almost 7,000 jobs.

Leader of Hounslow Council, Cllr Steve Curran, said: "I am delighted that the Mayor has recognised the strength of the case for more housing in Hounslow, and I'm particularly pleased that it will move us much closer to our target of 3,000 new affordable new homes by 2018.'

New Bermondsey: This 30 acre site will become a thriving new neighbourhood with 2,400 new homes and over 2,000 new jobs. The new Housing Zone will fund transport improvements to accelerate delivery, including a new London Overground station, speed up the construction of homes and accelerate the entire development to complete construction within eight years.

Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Regeneration Councillor Alan Smith, said: 'New Bermondsey is one of five key sites in the north of Lewisham that we are working to develop to bring much needed homes, improved transport, new jobs and great new facilities for our community. I'm delighted that Housing Zone designation will enable this work to start two years earlier than planned.'

Southall: This part of Ealing is set to benefit enormously from being on the new Crossrail route. The new Housing Zone will deliver 4,345 new homes, 1,785 of which will be affordable. The Zone will also improve the station arrival point for Crossrail and allow for infrastructure improvements to help connect sites across Southall.

Councillor Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council, said: 'Southall is being transformed through unprecedented investment which will secure its future as one of the premier towns in west London to live, work and visit. Getting housing zone status will further stimulate development and ensure thousands of much-needed good quality homes can be built for local people. This will also help to boost the local economy through the creation of jobs during and after construction of these homes and the infrastructure required to support them. Major transport improvements like Crossrail and the planned western road being built as part of the Southall Gas Works development will help ease congestion and better connect Southall with central London, Heathrow and beyond.'

Tottenham: This area of Haringey is one of the capital's big growth opportunities. Ambitious regeneration plans supported by a Housing Zone will see 10,000 new homes built and 5,000 new jobs created by 2025. The Zone will offer opportunities to build almost 2,000 new homes around and on top of a redeveloped Tottenham Hale station and open up the Lee Valley Regional Park with two new bridges.

Cllr Alan Strickland, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing, said: 'Our successful Housing Zone bid is great news for Tottenham – placing Tottenham Hale at the heart of affordable living in a stunning neighbourhood setting. Housing Zone investment will allow us to not only deliver a great range of quality, affordable homes in Tottenham Hale, it will also give us the resources to create an outstanding new neighbourhood with a fantastic mix of facilities, improved infrastructure and greater opportunities for local people.'

Notes to editors

1. Housing Zones are an integral part of the Mayor's Housing Strategy that puts forward a range of pioneering measures to boost housing supply, stimulate building and produce more low cost homes to help meet the 42,000 homes a year that are needed to manage London's increasing population. Other measures include the London Housing Bank to accelerate big schemes, the release of hundreds of acres of land owned by the GLA, and the building of 100,000 affordable homes.